id quod plerumque accidit
by shewriteswords
Summary: that which generally happens
1. Chapter 1: id est

Hi all. This is the first chapter of a sequel to _Just This Once_. This is going to be a shorter story than _Just This Once_, but it will deal with the aftermath of that story. The rest is outlined but it may take me a little bit to get the next chapter up. Also working on Chapter 3 of _Broken Places_, which should be up soon! Enjoy, and I would love to hear what you think!

**id quod plerumque accidit **

**Summary: **that which generally happens

**Characters:** Adam, Sam, Dean, John, Bobby, and Castiel.

**Warnings: **Show-level violence.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

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Chapter 1

_id est _

"Keep up the good work everyone, and we'll see you Monday."

There were murmurs of, "Thanks, Coach," and other innocuous goodbyes as everyone filed out. Adam retrieved his backpack and followed the pack of sweaty boys across the football field and out onto Kniss Avenue. He and Simon split from the group with a few promises to meet up and train together on Saturday, crossed Kniss, and spent the short walk to the apartment complex complaining about homework and lamenting the fact that Emily Lamb would probably never notice either of them in a million years. Emily Lamb was queen of Luverne High School and ruled her domain unashamedly and mercilessly. The boys parted ways on the second floor – _see you later, man_ – and Adam trudged up one more set of stairs to #311.

#311 was just like every other apartment in the City Centre Apartment complex. A spacious floorplan (in other words, you had to supply your own furniture), smoke-free (in other words, you could smell everything _else_), and a perfect size for your family (in other words, cramped).

But the Winchesters had made it their home. Adam's entire existence, everything that was important to him, his most precious memories… all of it was found at #311.

He shook himself and hiked his backpack up as he fumbled for the key. Ever since he'd started high school, his thoughts had been ridiculously philosophical and depressing, and it was, as Dean always said, not cool.

Find the key. Twist to the right. Finally, drop the backpack (high school had brought a heavier academic load, which was also not cool). Grab a Gatorade from the fridge. Step over Dean (who always fell asleep in the strangest of places). Peanut butter and banana sandwich, homework, and then he'd start prepping dinner for when Dad got home.

He shivered as he started up the old desktop and pulled out his physics homework. It was still August, but it was also Minnesota and it was already starting to get chilly. The computer was taking forever to start up. Sam always complained about it, but it usually worked just fine after warming up. Dean snorted loudly from the kitchen chair he was draped over and something clattered.

"You here, Adam?"

"I'm here, Sleeping Beauty."

Dean ignored the jibe. "School was fine?"

"Yup. Do you have a shift tonight?"

Dean made his appearance, yawning and stretching. His hair was magnificently disarrayed and there was drool dried along the side of his cheek.

Adam decided not to tell him.

"Huh?"

"Do you have a shift tonight?"

"Nope. I'm free. You have homework?"

"Yeah… but it's also the _weekend_." And unlike his friends' brothers, Adam and Dean would enjoy their time together despite the age difference.

"True. Wanna go for a drive tonight?"

This was a rare offer. He had to be cool, though. "Sure."

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**Thanks for reading - drop a review! **


	2. Chapter 2: absit omen

**Second chapter! Chapter three of Broken Places is up as well, now! Enjoy. **

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Chapter 2

_absit omen_

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"…it came in as a house fire. But we get there, and of course there's nothing. She comes out crying, 'He's stuck, he's stuck!' There's this weird nose coming from the tree and of course it's nighttime, in her pitch-black yard, and turns out her dog had gotten his head stuck _in _the tree. She's crying and crying, and we can't get her to stop holding onto the dog. The dog's barking and shaking like crazy. Finally, Dave gets her to sit down. Jim and I are trying to like twist the dog around and finagle him out of the tree, the lady's crying, the dog's crying, Dave's crying… The lady keeps shouting, 'Oh, Dave, oh, Dave!' Dave keeps saying, 'It's okay, it's okay.' By the time we yank the dog outta there, Jim and I are hysterically laughing and trying to pretend that it's tears. The lady jumps up and grabs the dog. She's shouting, 'Dave, Dave!' Dave looks at us like he wants backup but of course we're sitting there laughing at him. He goes over and says, 'I'm here, I'm here.' She looks at him like he's crazy and says, 'No, I just needed Dave.' Dave looks even more confused. Jim and I suddenly realize that the dog's name is Dave and start laughing again… We hightailed it outta there. Dave was so traumatized he didn't say a word the whole way back to the station."

Adam was shaking with laughter by the time Dean finished the story. Luverne, population 5,000, had more than its fair share of oddballs and eccentric Midwesterners, and Dean had interacted with more than his fair share, both in his role as a firefighter and out of it.

Dean stretched languidly, a funny look on his face as Adam laughed. "You look like Sammy when you laugh," he said, finally.

Adam snorted. "What, does it bother you that I'm not your perfect clone?"

Dean didn't bother responding. "Hope he's settling in okay," he said instead.

Adam sobered. Sam was pursuing his dream and studying law at Butler University in Indianapolis. Technically his major was "Peace and Conflict Studies." They were very proud of him. Butler was one of the top universities in the Midwest, and Sam had gotten a full ride. Maybe a third of the adults in Luverne had a college degree, and Sam would be the first Winchester to earn his. The only problem was that Indianapolis was ten hours away and while Sam was a proud Butler Bulldog, he often struggled with homesickness for the first few weeks of every semester.

Flight times to Indianpolis were five hours, if the Winchesters went by plane. Which they hadn't. At least not since Sam's first semester. Even firefighters had to be afraid of something.

Dean shook himself. "What am I saying," he laughed half-heartedly. "He's probably so buried in his books he hasn't even visited Jess yet."

"Which is unfortunately accurate, and, a tragedy."

"Truly."

They stared up at the stars for another moment in silence. Dean's phone rang. He ignored it. It rang again.

"Probably Dad, wondering where dinner is," he said, sitting up. It was Dad, and he was wondering where his boys were. He didn't say no when Dean offered to pick up pizza, though. Dean hung up and reached down to pull Adam up from the ground. Adam shivered. August in Minnesota, and the ground was damp, and the Winchesters were laying on the ground.

Dean started the car and his phone rang again. "What now, Dad," he said, but not unkindly. "Oh, it's Castiel. Never mind. Hey, Cas."

Castiel was kind of weird. He lived with Uncle Bobby in Sioux Falls and worked at the library. He was one of the most awkward people Adam knew.

Adam loved it when he visited.

"Yup," Dean was saying. "Okay, good. Great. Thanks, man. Talk to you later, then." He closed his phone, pulled around the Methodist church and stopped in front of Pizza Ranch, the only pizza place in town.

"Get three. Pepperoni. And get one of those dessert pizzas," he handed Adam a wad of cash.

"What kind, your ladyship?"

"Shut up. Uh… blueberry." Adam slammed the door shut less than gently, inwardly laughing at Dean's reaction to his treatment of the car. Or in Dean's mind, The Car.

He paid for it at dinner when Dean slipped ice down the back of his shirt. Which inevitably ended with Adam on the floor and Dean desperately trying to hold him down, something which was becoming more and more difficult by the month. They both startled when Dad's door slammed. They hadn't even noticed him leaving the kitchen. They detached themselves and cleaned up their mess and hoped that everything was okay.

But Dad came out a few minutes later grinning, with Sam on Skype on the laptop. "Sorry, guys," he said. "Just wanted a moment of quiet to get this working."

"Heya, Sammy."

"Sam!" Adam inwardly cringed. Of course, his voice would crack now. Dean grinned at him and Adam stuck his tongue out.

Dean stuck his out in revenge.

There was a second of delay before Sam's fuzzy image moved and he said, "I see how mature you guys have gotten since I left. How is everything?"

Adam talked about football and high school and accidentally said something about Emily Lamb. Sam, more than Dean, was his confidant, and somehow, he always said more than he meant to. Oh, well. Dean probably already knew about Emily Lamb. He and Dad both raised their eyebrow and smirked in a creepily similar way, but Sam just nodded and gave Adam a not so subtle grin.

Dean told his Dave story and ragged on Sam about studying too much and not spending enough time with Jessica. Dad asked how things were going with classes and roommates and said, "Well, you know Mr. Jones," when Sam asked how work was.

Sam grinned and nodded and said that everything was going well. They were Winchesters to the core and no one said, "I miss you," or "I love you," but Dean said he'd kick Sam's butt if he didn't take a break from studying and Dad said he'd added some money to Sam's meal plan.

It was a good night.

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**Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your feedback/suggestions. Happy Friday!**


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